HCMC – The U.S. has postponed a planned increase in tariffs on certain furniture products by one year, moving the effective date to January 1, 2027, instead of early 2026 as previously scheduled.
The decision was announced by the White House in a statement released on December 31, 2025. The tariff delay applies to products such as sofas, kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, providing temporary relief to furniture manufacturers and exporters, including those from Vietnam.
According to the White House, the U.S. will continue “constructive negotiations” with its trading partners to address issues related to reciprocity and national security concerns surrounding imports of wood and wood products. The move is intended to balance domestic industry protection with efforts to limit price pressures on U.S. consumers.
Previously, on September 29, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing tariffs of 10% on solid wood and sawn timber, and 25% on kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets and upholstered wooden furniture, effective October 14, 2025. Under the initial plan, these rates were set to increase to 30% and 50%, respectively, from early 2026 for partners that had not reached trade agreements with the U.S.
In recent months, Vietnamese exporters of kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and upholstered seating have been subject to a 25% tariff, which is five percentage points higher than the general reciprocal tariff applied to Vietnamese goods since early August 2025.
Under the latest decision, the current 25% tariff will remain unchanged, while the higher rates will be deferred until early 2027.
Washington has cited Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, arguing that imports of wood and furniture pose risks to national security by weakening the domestic timber industry and related supply chains. However, analysts have noted that the policy increasingly reflects industrial protection concerns.
The tariff measures have raised concerns among major furniture exporters to the U.S., including Vietnam, where wood and furniture shipments to the U.S. typically account for more than 55% of the sector’s total export value.
A representative of the Handicarft & Wood Industry Association of HCMC (HAWA) told The Saigon Times earlier that Vietnam is particularly exposed due to its reliance on kitchen cabinets and upholstered furniture, which account for around 20–25% and nearly 10% of Vietnam’s wood and furniture exports to the U.S., respectively.
In the context of a slow recovery in orders and ongoing market uncertainty, the one-year delay is seen as providing additional time for enterprises to adjust operations and prepare for possible policy changes.
According to the Vietnam Timber and Forest Products Association (Viforest), the U.S. is continuing negotiations with Vietnam toward a bilateral agreement on reciprocal tariffs and national security issues related to imports of wood and wood products. The two sides completed their eighth negotiation round from November 12, 2025 to November 14, 2025, with further talks ongoing at both ministerial and technical levels.
